Part 12
Edward POV
It's been a week since Ethan's accident and Tanya found out everything. A very long week where I haven't seen my fiancée. She has taken my calls when I've rung but she asked me for space and I'm doing my best to give that to her.
Ethan is making a swift recovery, apart from a small headache he's been fine ever since. I think it's been Bella who has had a harder time recovering then anyone. She doesn't want to let him out of her sight. Thankfully though she seems to be fine with me looking after him which is great because I love spending time with him and getting to know him, and it helps to keep my mind off Tanya as well.
Today my parents are having a barbeque and have invited everyone over so that they can meet Ethan. Bella is pretty nervous but her parents, Alice and Jasper will all be here so I know that's easing her mind a little.
I hear Bella pull up so I go out to help her with Ethan.
"Hey," I smile when I see them. Over the past few weeks Bella has become a good friend, and right now she and Ethan are the only thing that put a smile on my face.
"Hi," she smiles back.
I open the back door and pull Ethan out of his car seat. "Hi buddy," I grin.
"Hi Daddy," he smiles back.
"You ready to meet your other nanna, poppy and aunt Rosalie?" I ask him.
His little eyes go wide but he nods. "Good, they're very excited to meet you," I tell him.
Bella and I enter the house together. Her parents arrived a few minutes earlier along with Jasper and Alice so now they're in the back and everyone was just waiting on the guests of honour. I carry Ethan in my arms and Bella walks beside me as we walk out into the back yard.
Everyone is talking but they stop when they look up and notice Bella and Ethan are here.
"Hi," Bella says self-consciously.
"Hi Bella," Rosalie grins and is the first person over. In high school Rosalie and Bella were actually good friends but apparently they lost touch when Rosalie left for school, as far as I know Rosalie wasn't even aware Bella had a baby and she did come home every holiday.
"Hi," Bella replies.
"Hi there Ethan," she says turning to him but Ethan buries his head in my neck.
"Ethe mate this is your Aunt Rosalie remember we talked about her," I say trying to coax him out of hiding.
Eventually his small little head peaks out and Rosalie grins. "Hi," she says again.
"Hi," he replies in almost a whisper.
I watch Rosalie turn to Bella then. "He's so beautiful Bella," she tells her and Bella blushes before responding.
"Thanks," she says.
My parents approach then and this time Ethan doesn't hide he just looks at them curiously. "Remember how I told you about your other nanna and poppy," I say to him and he nods. "Well this is them. They're my mummy and daddy," I tell him.
"Hi," My mum smiles at him.
"It's nice to meet you Ethan," my dad adds holding out his hand for Ethan to shake, but Ethan doesn't understand.
"Your daddy's mama and Dada right?" he asks.
"Yeah honey we are," my mum answers.
Ethan buries his head in my neck again. "Hi Bella," my mum and Dad greets her.
"Hi Mr and Mrs Cullen," she replies.
"Oh it's Carlisle and Esme, Bella," my dad tells her. "You're family," he adds with a wink and Bella looks at him surprised.
"Ethan honey," Bella calls to him. "Why don't you hop down and go and say hello to Aunty Alice and Unca Jasper? They haven't seen you in a while and Aunty Alice really misses you," she tells him.
Ethan nods so I lower him to the ground and he goes scooting off in Alice's direction. I watch in amusement as he gives her a big hug and kiss. I turn and catch my sister glimpsing on in envy.
"Don't worry Rosalie he'll be like that with you soon," Bella tells her with a knowing grin.
"Really?" she asks excited. Rosalie was so excited when she found out that she was an aunt. She didn't get angry with me at all like most people did, instead she focused on the positive of the situation and that was Ethan.
"Yep," she says.
The afternoon just gets better from then. Ethan warms up to my parents and Rosalie and before any of us know it he's playing with Rosalie just like Bella predicted.
My dad and Charlie Swan are standing at the grill and I'm talking to Jasper while the girls gossip about something. One of the other great things about coming back to Forks has been restoring my relationship with Jasper. I didn't realise how much I had missed him until he wasn't there for me. Sure I had friends in New York and they served their purpose but I couldn't talk to them like I can with Jasper.
We're just about to serve the food when the back gate opens and Tanya appears. I almost choke on my beer because she is the last person I expected to see.
"Hi Tanya," my mum greets her.
I see her look around obviously taking in the scene before her eyes land on mine and I'm sure I'm looking at her like a deer caught in the headlights. It's great to see her but I didn't want her to walk in on this scene.
"Hi," I finally say and step forward.
"We're just about to eat Tanya why don't you join us," My mum continues apparently oblivious to how awkward everyone else is over the situation.
"Um, thanks Mrs Cullen but I wanted to talk to Edward," she answers.
I lead her inside. "It's good to see you," I tell her. "I'm glad you're here," I add.
I see her nod but she doesn't look like she believes me. "We're just having a barbeque so mum; dad and Rosalie could meet Ethan. I was going to invite you but I didn't think…"
"No you were right not to," she tells me.
"Will you stay?" I ask with a small smile while I reach out for her hand but she pulls it back.
"I can't, my parents are waiting for me out the front," she explains.
"Oh," I frown.
"I just came to tell you that I'm going away with my parents for a little while," she says.
"What?" I ask.
"My parents had a trip planned to Europe and I'm going with them," she says.
I sit there with my mouth open. "Europe?" I ask. It's a very long way away from Forks is all I'm thinking.
"Yeah," she nods.
"So that's it you're just leaving?" I ask painfully. I notice that she's still wearing her engagement ring though so that gives me a bit of hope.
"Not leaving just getting away," she clarifies defensively. "I need space to think and I can't do that in Forks," she says. "Especially not while you're playing happy family," she adds.
"That's not what's happening and you know it," I fire back angrily.
"I don't want to fight," she says standing up. "I'll call you," she tells me as she starts walking to the front door.
"How long will you be gone?" I ask her.
"A month," she says.
Wow a whole month; I wonder how the hell I'm going to repair our relationship now.
"How are we supposed to sort this out if you're running away?" I ask then.
I realise my words are a mistake when I see the fury flash in her blue eyes. "I'm sorry if I'm not working to your time frame here," she says. "I'm sorry if my hurt and anger at your betrayal is an inconvenience."
"Tanya that's not what I mean. I just…." I look at her standing so close yet so far away from me. "I just miss you and I'm scared that the more time lapses that we're apart the less likely it is we're going to fix our relationship."
"You can't just fix broken trust," she whispers, "You can't just mend hurt."
I close my eyes in pain. "I have to go. We're on our way to the airport," she explains and I nod.
"I'll call you," she says once again. "Goodbye Edward," she says and when I look up I see tears glistening in her eyes and in wonder if this really is goodbye after all.
"See you soon Tanya," I say refusing to say goodbye quite yet.
Bella POV
The minute Edward returns from inside the house alone I know that something is wrong. His shoulders are slumped in defeat but he's putting on a nice act.
"Tanya couldn't stay?" his father asks, it's as though everyone is oblivious to what has happened lately.
"Um no," he answers and thankfully his father chooses to just accept his answer.
We eat then and he comes and sits beside me to help me with Ethan.
"You ok?" I ask quietly. I don't ask him very often because it's not my place but I can't stand to see him looking so dejected.
"Tanya left," he replies quietly. "Decided to spend a month in Europe with her parents," he tells me.
I frown and wonder what the hell Tanya Denali's problem is. Sure I realise that she's hurt and angry and she has every right to be but I can't believe what she's doing. Tanya is throwing away a wonderful guy. Sure Edward is human he makes mistakes and he made a huge one three years ago, we both did but I just don't understand why you would let a wonderful guy like him go over something which in the end is really insignificant now. Well that's my opinion anyway, I'd just be glad for a guy like Edward to be interested in me.
"I'm sorry," I say and I really am. I'm sorry that I have turned his life upside down and I just pray that he won't blame me for it one day.
But he smiles gently at me. "Don't," he says. "You don't need to apologise for this, it was all my own doing," he says and I wonder what he means.
Edward POV
"I lied for three years Bella," he tells me. "I let her think we lost our virginity together," I add.
I watch her eyes go wide. "You don't mean…?" she asks and apparently she has no idea that I was a virgin the night we were together.
"Yeah," I whisper.
"But why?" she spits out. "I mean why would you let me do that to you?" she asks tears in her eyes and I thank god that no one is sitting close enough to us to hear our conversation.
I'm not sure how to answer her at first. Three years ago my answer would have been simple but then afterwards I became bitter about the whole thing, it was easier to blame her then to deal with my guilt. Now though…
I look into her eyes. "It was you," I say with a shrug and go back to eating my food aware that her eyes are still on me.
